Story+2000-03-14+Little+Rock,+AR

“(Clarence: “Brothers and Sisters, all rise”)…Yeah, yeah, yeah… yeah, yeah, yeah…are you ready now, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…I’m so glad to be here in Little Rock (crowd cheers) yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah, yeah, yeah…is the President in the house? (crowd cheers) are you ready now, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight (crowd cheers)…”
 * 14.03.00 Little Rock, AR, intro to “My Love Will Not Let You Down”**

“May I, Baby?...may I, Honey?...can I, Sugar?...(does a pelvic thrust towards the audience) Honey, do you want to marry a multi-millionaire?...(sings a bit of “It’s Alright” and “Take Me to the River”) that’s right…that’s where I wanna go tonight...I wanna go to that riverside…I wanna find that river of life…and that river of love ...and that river of happiness…I wanna go to that river of faith…that river sanctification…that river of transformation where if you go and you try, you can be changed...that river of resurrection…where everybody gets a second chance...that river of sexual healing and companionship…that’s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me (crowd cheers) because I’m here tonight because I need to go with you…because you can’t get there by yourself…no Sir!...tonight I want to perform a rock’n’roll exorcism (crowd cheers) a rock’n’roll baptism, Baby...come on out, Devil, I’m in a wrestling mood…I wanna kungfu you, shamu you…the Devil’s main weapon is fear and once I found myself as a young man standing before a dark grove of trees, frightened to pass through those trees...even though I knew that on the other side was cold beer at a reasonable price (crowd cheers) but I was paralyzed and my legs were like stone and I walked into the forest and I saw a gypsy woman and she said “Come here, Son”…she said “What you need, you can’t get to that river without some help, what you need is you need a band” (crowd cheers) that’s why I want to introduce with me tonight at the riverside the Dean of the university of musical perversity, the Secretary of intelligence, Professor Roy Bittan on the piano (crowd cheers) with me at the riverside, I want to introduce the Minister of faith and friendship, star of the Sopranos-television show, on the guitar, Little Steven Van Zandt (crowd cheers) with me at the riverside, I wanna introduce Southern man, foundation of the E Street nation, Mr. Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) on the drums the man that brings the power every night, the Minister of the Mighty Beat, star of Late Night television: Mighty Max Weinberg (crowd cheers) on the guitar, the Secretary of heart and spirit, Godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) with me at the riverside, Brother…Minister of mystery, keeper of all things unfathomable on E Street, Brother Dan Federici on the organ (crowd cheers) brunettes are fine, blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes a (crowd: “Red headed woman”) I’ve got to find myself a (crowd: “Red headed woman”) I’m looking, I’m searching for a (crowd: “Red headed womanc) I’ve got to find my baby (crowd: “Red headed woman”) creeping for my baby (crowd: “Red headed woman”). I’ve got to find my girl now (crowd: “Red headed woman” (Patti sings a bit of “Rumble Doll”)…the First Lady of love, on the guitar, Miss Patti Scialfa, and vocals (crowd cheers) thank you, Baby…and now last but not least (crowd cheers) last but not least…the Minister of soul, Secretary of the brotherhood...and if the world was a righteous place, the next President of the United States (crowd cheers) he’d play better saxophone (crowd cheers) do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”)… (…) The E Street Band (crowd cheers) the one, the only, the legendary E Street Band (crowd cheers)…”
 * 14.03.00 Little Rock, AR, middle of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”**

“Thank you…gonna do this tonight for the folks from the Arkansas Foodbank, their workers are here with us…the Arkansas Foodbank gives support to the people throughout the state, more than 267,000 in Arkansas live below the poverty level, one in four kids live in danger of going to bed hungry at night and each dollar that you donate secures approximately ten meals for the struggling citizens of Arkansas (crowd cheers) so on your way out, check in to the Arkansas Foodbank, if you see them out in the hall tonight, they could use your help and your support, this is for them…”
 * 14.03.00 Little Rock, AR, intro to “The Ghost of Tom Joad”**

“Little Rock! (crowd cheers) Little Rock, Arkansas! (crowd cheers) but everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve seen people lost…in confusion...I’ve seen people lost…in the wilderness...I’ve seen people lost…in bitterness…I’ve seen people lost…in the Whitewater memorabilia... I’ve seen people lost...in loneliness…but tonight we’re here on a search-and-rescue mission…if you’ve been downhearted, disspirited, disgusted, dispossessed, downsized, analyzed, stigmatized, Republicanized, Disneyized, Pokemonized, retropsychedelicized (crowd cheers) I’m here tonight to re-educate, to resuscitate, to regenerate, to re-confiscate, to re-indoctrinate, to re-combobolate, to re-sexualate, to re-dedicate, to re-congregate, to re-liberate you with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery...with the ministry of rock’n’roll! (crowd cheers) with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery…with the ministry of rock’n’roll! (crowd cheers) now, unlike my competitors, I shall not…I will not…I can not…promise you life everlasting...but I can promise you life…right now! (crowd cheers) and all you got to do is raise your hand and say “I” (Bruce and the crowd start going “I”)...”
 * 14.03.00 Little Rock, AR, middle of “Light of Day”**

“Arkansas! (crowd cheers) are you ready to rumble? (crowd cheers) … (…) It’s a cold New Jersey morning…come on, baby, turn on…turn on…turn on…turn on…come on, sugar…come on…”
 * 14.03.00 Little Rock, AR, intro to “Ramrod”**

//Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//